Artemis Fowl Drabbles
by Boussole
Summary: My collection of AF drabbles. Varying characters, pairings, genres, and ratings. For several challenges, including GTA, 12LH, af100, and 18coda. Constructive criticism is much appreciated.
1. Little Miss Goldilocks

AN: I decided to jump on the drabble archive bandwagon. These drabbles will be mostly written for Guess the Author (a feature in The Observatory, an AF fanzine), but also for The Twelve Labours of Heracles and af100.

Support the Orion Awards! (See my profile for details and links.)

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Title: Little Miss Goldilocks  
Summary: Lili was always the epitome of innocence, of course.  
Genre: General  
Rating: G  
Pairing: None  
Word count: 100  
Written for: August 06 GTA, no prompt; 12LH: minor character

Little Miss Goldilocks

She laughs—naively, sweetly, cruelly—at the idea of troubles. Her innocence charms even the most gruff, grizzled warrior.

Doesn't she realise that only she has the kisses of Fate and Fortune upon her forehead?

How fascinating it is to watch her:

gracefully intruding upon the keeping of someone's heart  
gently clawing the heart into pieces and trying them on for size  
blushing prettily when she wakes up and realises what she's done.

And most of all, to see the brilliance of her golden halo as she waltzes her way through the dangerous woods, in search of yet another cottage.


	2. Optical Illusion

Thanks for reading. As always, constructive criticism is welcome!

Title: Optical Illusion  
Summary: Who's really blind: the one who doesn't see something that's obviously there, or the one who sees something that obviously isn't there?  
Genre: Humour, Romance  
Rating: G  
Pairing: Withheld/open to interpretation  
Warning: None  
Word count: 100  
Written for: Sept 06 GTA: "How can you see something that isn't there?"

Optical Illusion

"You know, Holly," Foaly munched solemnly, "Love is blind. Maybe after all your mooning over him—"

"I'm not in love!" Holly rolled her eyes.

"Denial," Foaly sing-songed. "It's _blind_ingly obvious." He giggled, reaching for another carrot.

Holly's arm flashed out and snatched it. "Carrots are supposed to be good for your eyesight."

Foaly sulked. "They are. I have perfect vision. So—"

"Then how," Holly interrupted, "can you see something that isn't there?" With that she stalked out of the Operations Booth...

...crashing into the rosy-faced Commander Root.

"Short! Watch where you're going!" he snapped. "What are you, blind?"


	3. Tradition and Legend

Concrit is lovely.

Title: Tradition and Legend  
Summary: Modern twists on an early belief; novel heroes of an ancient myth.  
Genres: General, Drama, Romance  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: Holly/Artemis  
Warning: Mention of character death (Neiklot)  
Status / Word count: two linked drabbles of 100 words each  
Written for: af100: superstition; 18coda: ostinato (Heretic only); 18coda: cadence (Neiklot only); 12LH fishwish: abandonment of the Underground (Neiklot only)

Cookies if you know what "Neiklot" is from.

* * *

Heretic

Neither has ever liked convention anyway.

He gives a specific, unorthodox forging request.

Everyone else expected elaborateness; instead it looks plain and unremarkable.

She doesn't mind either the "fraternising with the People's enemy" or "defacement of the People's currency" charge.

He tells her of the ancient human belief in the _vena amoris_ running from the fourth finger to the heart—"Something else you stole from us," she laughs.

A custom obeyed by her People as well as his...

_Follow your heart..._

It is slipped onto her trigger finger instead.

Her only regret is that it covers the scar it honours.

* * *

Neiklot

The Elf waits and watches over him, the Man who wills to prove himself worthy of her.

When the chance of ultimate Power is in his hand, he thinks of her as he rejects the Shadow.

Victory leads to sorrow...

He watches the ancient tree, knowing that he does not have much longer to wait for her.

The twilit Haven is grey, until she closes her eyes to it for the last time.

"...joy, for a while."

He asks her if she will return to her People.

When Hope is dead, she watches the stars as she waits to die.


	4. The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Notes/explanations on all my drabbles are slowly being uploaded to my blog (http// anordir . livejournal . com / tag / fic + ramblings), if you're interested.

Thanks for reading, especially those of you who reviewed. Sweetdeath04, you wanted a drabble about this character, so here it is. extra short, I'll write a Holly/Trouble someday. I promise.

A request for a future drabble is always welcome, no matter what it is. I'll try anything once.

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Title: The Sincerest Form of Flattery  
Summary: When a mission goes horribly wrong, a certain elf wishes he hadn't been so right.  
Genre: General, Drama  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: None  
Warning: Mention of character death  
Status / Word count: complete 100 word drabble  
Written for: 18coda: canon; reviewer request

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

"_No! Just me. Retrieval's too dangerous for—"_

"_Is not! I can do anything you can!"_

"You said you'd look after him."

Anguished, he fumbles for a reply. "But I told him... How was I supposed to know..."

"Your acorns, your _perfect record_: you encouraged him to take risks!"

"Mother!" he exclaims, shocked and horrified. "I didn't! I ordered him to stay back!"

"Rubbing it in his face that you got to go and he didn't—" Angry tears stain her face.

"I wanted him to be safe! That's all!"

She smiles bitterly. "All _he_ ever wanted was to be like you."


	5. Ever After

Notes are at the end this time.

Title: Ever After  
Summary: Fairies might be real, but fairy tale endings aren't.  
Genre: General  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Withheld/open to interpretation  
Warning: Suggestiveness  
Word count: 100 (two half-drabbles)  
Written for: 18coda: _a cappella_; reviewer request

Ever After

They constantly bickered—that was practically a given. But neither had envisioned that the star-crossed lovers who had triumphed together over all other obstacles would succumb to a blazing row.

Artemis touched his face, where Holly had slapped him before leaving the manor.

He wished she had punched him instead.

--------------------

"It's about Holly," Foaly told him.

She'd gone and done something rash after their fight, Artemis knew. _My fault. If anything's happened to her, I'll_—

"Artemis...this was entirely her own choice."

He snapped, "What is it? Is Holly in trouble?"

"Not quite." Foaly bit his lip. "He's in her."

* * *

extra short requested a Holly/Trouble fic. Probably not what you were expecting, eh? :P I may write another H/T in the future, but don't hold your breath.

And I realise the play on words here is awful, but at least (as far as I know) it's unique.


	6. Liberation

Title: Liberation  
Summary: "Without it, we'd never have started questioning our accepted 'truths.'"  
Genre: General, Drama  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: Lili/OMC? (open to interpretation)  
Warning: Mention of prostitution  
Word count: 100  
Written for: March 2007 GTA: "freedom." I wrote this drabble more than two years ago. Since The Observatory is now dead and I doubt we will ever run GTA again, I figured it was okay to finally publish it.

Liberation

_Eventually, the People began to challenge the absolute rule of the dynasty..._

In History class, she pouts, idly twirling her hair.

_...Many females of royal blood, pejoratively called "Sunheads," were captured by the rebels and kept as harlots..._

The cute sprite across the room isn't reading either—

_...The rebellion is considered the greatest step in the advancement of free thinking._

—beep!—he's messaging her on his cell: smoothie?—wink!—

_Write an essay exploring the effects of the Frondian revolution on today's societal attitudes toward living descendants of King Frond the Golden._

She tosses her tresses and tries not to think.


	7. Domestic Adventures

Title: Domestic Adventures  
Summary: "A true warrior, like tea, shows his strength in hot water." – Chinese proverb  
Genre: Humour, Romance  
Rating: G  
Pairing: Trouble/Holly  
Warning: None  
Word count / Status: 4 linked half-drabbles (200 words total)  
Written for: reviewer request

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Domestic Adventures

He was an experienced officer as well as a highly respected Commander. He was the guy you'd most want backing you up in a fight. And he was named _Trouble_, for goodness' sake.

No one had ever questioned his manliness...until today.

"Real men," Holly told him, "know how to cook."

------------

Trouble would never admit it, but years of "delegating" chores had made him terribly inept at cooking.

Holly insisted he take part in the cooking for their apartment—ostensibly because the alternative would reinforce outdated gender roles, but really because of her amusement at his hopeless antics in the kitchen.

------------

Holly stared wordlessly at the utterly inedible mess that an abashed Trouble was now dumping into the waste disposal.

"You are a complete idiot," she finally said, exasperated.

Trouble grinned sheepishly. "It was an honest mistake?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "How did you manage to burn _iced_ tea?"

------------

Enough was enough, Trouble decided. He was going to learn to cook—even if it killed him—beginning with a lovely pot of tea.

Trouble was never quite sure afterwards about what went wrong.

Holly walked into the kitchen just before the kettle exploded.

"Uh oh," she quipped. "Trouble brewing."

* * *

Yay for more Trouble puns! And who'd have thought I'd write a real Trouble/Holly? (It's not that I have anything against the pairing; I just don't usually find it as fun to write.)


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